Stethoscope



Patented apn 9, 192% UNITED STATES VPATENT OFFICE.

enfinnns J. Pi'LLiNe, en LANsnowNn, rnNNsYLvANm, AssreNen To THE GEORGE i?.

FILLING 5 SON COMEANY, GF, PHLDELPHIA,

OF PENNSYLVANIA.

PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION STETHOSCOPE.

Application mea May 5, 1927. serial No. 188,946:`

This invention relates to improvements in stethoscopes.

In making cardiac examinations it is highly desirable at each examination to' taire advantage of two forms of stethoseopes one having what is commonly known as a bell body piece having an open sound collecting space or chamber in communication with tubes leading to aurals, and the other haviiw what is commonly hnown as a diaphragm body piece having a diaphragm `covered sound collecting; space or chamber in conn municatiim with tubes leading to aurais, because,A as is well known, the bell body piece is more useful for registering low pitched murmurs and the diaphragm body piece is more useful for registering high pitched murmurs, und because the bell piece' is capable of den'ionstrating rumbling diastolic murmurs of mitral stenosis which are inaudible withthe diaphragm piece, and conversely, because the latter piece records the hissing or blowing murmurs of aortic regurgitation which cannot be heard with the bell piece.

In the use/of these two forms of stethoscopes., prior to my invention, physicians have been required either to remove the aurais of one instrument from their ears and replace them with the aurais ofthe other instrument or te detach one body piece from tubes leading to the aurais and attach the ther body piece to the saine tubes;

.Each of' these methods has been found to be very objectionable because of the necessity of disposing of one instrument and procuring another during` an examination, which not only made the work of the examining physician difficult but, due to loss of time between the applications of the two body pieces, the results of the examinations were less satisfactery'than they would have been with less loss of time.

rlhe object of this invention is to overcome these objections by the provision ofL an instrument having the two body pieces connected to a single pair of aurais permanently incorporated in its construction and having provision for the quick application or use of either piece, thereby'saving much time for the examining physician, making his work less difficult, bettering the results of the examinations and thereby giving him more complete information for the treatment of his patients than heretofore, and prolonging the life of instruments of this general character.

The invention consists of the elements and the combinations of them hereinafter described and claimed.

ln the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention,

Figure l is a perspective view of a stethoscope showing one form of embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through a portion of the instrument on line 2 2 'of Fig. 3. i

Figure 3 is a similar 'of Fig. 2.

.Figure l is a instrument.

Referring to the drawings, fl designates a valve casing and 5 a tapered, partially rotatable valve member extending transversely therethrough and seated therein. The smaller end of the valve member is provided with a removable screw G having a head which engages the casing 4l and retains the member 5 seated in the casing and permits it te be-turned therein; and the larger en d of the valve member is provided with a suitable handle 5 formed thereon or secured thereto by means of which 'the valve member may be turned.

The bell body piece 7 is formed integral with and extends from the valve casing and its free end portion is formed by a1 hard rubber contact part S screwed into the part thereof which is formed integral with the casing l., as shown in Fig. 2. The bell body piece 7 is made tapered or flaring, having a tapered or flaring interior forming a sound collectimy space or chamber 9 open at its outer end and having its inner end terminating in a sound inlet passage l() leading to the valve member 5.

The diaphragmed body piece l1 also is formed integral with` and extends from the valve casing d with its axis set at an angle, preferably a right angle, as shown, to the axis of the bell body piece 7. The body piece ll has a head on its free end portion section, on line 3 3 vside view of a portion of the `enclosing a sound collecting chamber 12 the outer end of which is closed by adisc-like sound diaphragm 13 held in place thereon by a ring or collar 14 screwed on Vto the part ot the body pieee 11 which is 'tormei'l-integral with the valve easing Ll. The inner end portion olz the Chamber l2 terminates in a sound inlet par-:wage 15 whieh leads to the valve body 5.

The valve easing 4t le' a part 18 termed integral therewith and extending therefrom opposite to the bell body piece Y andV provided with two round d-iverging portions or stems 17. rlhis part 16 has a sound outlet passage tl'eerein Comprising a trunkportion 18 leading from the valve member 5 and two braneh portions 19 diver-ging from the trunl portion 18 and extei'iding through the stems 1T ot the part- 1G.

Connected to and leading trom the stems 17 ot the part 1G is a pair oi2 flexible rubber tubes 2O connected to a pair ot" aurais 2l. The aurais 21 are connected by the usual spring 22 and they are adapted to be inserted into and removed trom the ears ot' the person using` the instrumentin the usual manner.

rlhe inlet. passage l() and the trunk portion 18 of the outlet passage are in alinement or substantially so` and the inlet passage 15 extends at, right angles to the passage 10. The valve member is provided with a passage 23 extending straight through the same transversely thereofa and it is also provided with av passage Q4 extending through one side there-ot at right angles to the passage 23 and opening into the same. The valve member passages 23 and 24 are so rranged relatively to the inlet passages and and the outlet passages 18 that when the valve member 5 is moved to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the passage 2? will.. connect the inlet passage 10 with the outlet passage 18 and the valve easing 4 will clos-1e the passage 2li, and that, when the y is turned a quarter revoluvalve member o tion in the direction ot the arrow in Fig. il by turning the valve handle 5 trom the position shown by full lines to the position shown b v dot-and-dash lines in Fig. il, the 1)ottoni ol" the valve easing '-l will close one end ol the valve passage 23, and the other end portion et the passage 2?; and the passage Q-lwill Con-neet the inlet passage l5 and the outlet passage 18.

'lhe end portion of the valve member 5 carrying the handle 5 is provided with a slop pin 25 arranged to engage two shoulders i126 and 27 formed in the valve easing l to limit the turning movements of the valve member when the handle 5*1 'is moved to the full line and to the dot-and-dash line. positions shown in Fig. 4l? respectively.

lt will now be understood that when the valve handle, 5 moved to the lull line position, eonnnnnieation will be established between the bell body piece 7 and the aurais 21 while eommui'iieatioii otf the diaphragmed body piece. 11 will be eut el?, and that when the valve handle 5 is moved to the dot-anddash line position, communication will be established between the diaphragmed body piece 11 and the aurals 2l while Communication ot the bell body piece 'T will be eut otl'. lt will be understood also that, at'er the examining physieian planes the auraisl in his ears he may readily use either of the two body pieces and quickly change Yfrom the use of one to the other by Isimply moving` the valve handle 5 without removing` the aurais trom his aars and without' Changing to any material extent the positions olf his hands relatively to his patient or to either oli the two body pieces oiE the instrument. Y

The angles of the axes ot' the two body pieces and their positions on the valve easing are so relatively arranged that the physician may easily and quickly change from the use otV one body piece to the use ot the other during thi examination et a patient.

l claim as my invention:

A stethoscope eon'iprising a valve easing, a valve member movable therein, a` bell body piece formed integral with the easing and having a sound inlet passage leading to the valve member7 ay diaphragmed body pier-e termed integral with the easing' and having a sound inlet passage leading to the valve member, and av part termed integral with the easing and having' a sound outlet passage provided w't-h a trunk portion leading from the valve member and two branch portions diverging' from the truuk portion, the valve member being eonstrurted to open commimieation betwen either ot the inlet passages and the outlet passage when moved and to elose either oit the inlet lnissages when moved to open the other, he axes ol1 the inlet passages and the trunk portion ot the outlet passage radiating` trom the valver member substantially in a single plane and the axes of the branch portions ot the outlet passage being in a plane whie i extends substantially at right angles to the first named plane.

in testimony wnereot I atiix my si gnature.

CHARLES J. PHNG. 

